The U.S. policy to exploit natural gas for clean power generation has created a substantial increase in the cost of power and heating and a concern with the life span of these national reserves. Driving factors for clean power have included public fear of nuclear power generation following the Three Mile Island accident in March 1979 and concern of the power industry with the escalating environmental costs associated with the direct use of coal. Facing present realities, the power industry must now seek a long term alternative to natural gas or a return to nuclear and direct coal fired power generation. For the primary option an alternate gaseous fuel based on our major coal reserves could curtail costs through a time extension on the present investments in installed natural gas power plants. The remaining options, intensive new investments in nuclear and coal fired power plants, do not currently fully address public nuclear fears, government environmental concerns, or the impact of escalating power costs on the U.S. economy. Globally, the present state of coal gasification lacks the commercial ability to rapidly or even effectively replace our dwindling natural gas supplies either at a cost or on a scale necessary to meet the requirements of the United States.
As such, commercial systems and methods which facilitate continuing or increased clean power while controlling costs continue to be sought through ongoing research and development efforts.